Tunneling-machine.



D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2l.191|| Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

AV/T/VFSSES W iokqbsn COLUMBIA FLANDGRAPH co WASHINGTON, D. c.

D. A. ROBINSON.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21. 1911. 1.,163,859. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2' 1 o 4 o O I O I o o 5 I o I j )m 1 Q DIGHTON A. ROBINSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

TUNNELING-MACHINE.

Application filed February 21, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DIGHTON A. RoBIN- soN, of Seattle, King county, WVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tunneling-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for tunneling a rock formation and particularly to the channeling apparatus therefor by means of which a channel is cut in the heading so that when the rock is blasted it will break in the groove formed by the channeling tools and insure a regular, uniform surface on the inside of the channel.

The object of my invention is to provide a positively operative mechanism for retracting the channeling tools during the opera-. tion of cutting the groove in the heading. In other respects the apparatus which I have shown herein corresponds substantially to that of my pending application for a channeling machine, filed August 1, 1910, Serial No. 574,914.

The invention consists generally in mechanism for reciprocating the channeling tools during the revolution of the channeling tool carrier.

Further the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating my improved channeling machine in operation,

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view illustrating the mechanism for operating the channeling tools,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line m0c of a I I In the drawing. 2 represents a track laid in the bottom of the tunnel, 3 a portion of a car adapted to run thereon and .whereon the channeling apparatus is mounted.

4 is a casing mounted on the car and projecting forwardly therefrom and having bearings 5 and, 6 for a shaft 7 that is centrally arranged in said casing and at its for ward end has a bearing in a hub 8. A gear 9 is secured on the forward end of said shaft and a stud 10 is secured to said gear and projects forwardly therefrom and supports a sleeve 11 which hasa longitudinal movement on the stud by means of a screw 12. The forward end of the sleeve has a socket 13 and the forward end of the screw Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 141, 1915.

Serial No. 610,028.

has a head within the socket adapted to receive an operating tool. A cap lat is provided to cover the end of the telescoping sleeve. This sleeve and cap is adapted to fitinto a central socket or recess in the heading and form a central support for the revolying drum which carries the channeling too s.

The socket in the heading into which the cap 14: is inserted is formed by the center drill of the drill car which has drilled the blast holes in the heading to prepare the way for the operation of the channeler, and this central socket receiving the cap 14: forms, with the sleeve 11, a central support around which the carrier revolves during the channeling operation.

The gear 9 meshes with a series of pinions 15 which are mounted on shafts 16 having bearings on a drum 17. Carriages 18 are provided at suitable intervals around the periphery of said drum and are slidable on guides 19 and on the shafts 16. Blocks 20 are splined on the shafts 16 and slide freely thereon between bars 21 which form a part of said carriages, and the blocks 20 are provided with cams 22 which, when the shafts 16 are revolved, engage collars 23 mounted on the channeler spindles 21 which slide in bearings 25 on the carriages and are normally held in a projected position by springs 26. The engagement of the cams 22 with the collars 23 retracts the channelers from the heading and upon the disengagement of the cams therefrom the springs drive the channeling tools forward to form the annular grooves in the heading. The forward feed of the tools or cutters is effected by means of screw shafts 27 having bearings in the drum and provided with pinions 28 which mesh with a driving gear ring 29. This ring incloses the casing l and is driven through a shaft 30, gears 31 and belts 32 and 33 from a motor 31- operated, preferably, by an electric current. The revolution of the screw shafts 27 will feed the carriages forward or backward on the shafts 16 to advance the tools into the heading or withdraw them therefrom.

The drum has internal rings 35 and 36 having anti-friction bearings 37 and 38 on the outer surface of the casing 4 and the middle portion of the drum has a ring 39 secured thereto provided with an internal gear meshing with a pinion 10 on a shaft 42 which extends backwardly over the car and speed to obtain the desired results.

The rear end of the shaft 7 has driving connections 47 and 48 with a motor d9, from "which power is derived to revolve the gear 9 and to operate the cams to actuate the channelmg tools. The holes having been drilled in the heading, the drill car is withdrawn and the channeling machine set in place and braced against the walls of the tunnel by jack screws or any other suitable means, not shown. The carrier, being braced against the heading and the side walls of the tunnel, is revolved through the shaft 42 and at the same time the carriages 18 are fed forward to the work. Power is applied also to the central shaft 7 and the gear 9 revolving will actuate the shafts l6 and through the cams 22 and the collars 23 the channeling tools will be retracted and alternately driven forward by the springs 16, and the supporting carrier, revolving at suitable speed, will cause an annular groove to be cut in the tunnel heading until the desired depth is reached. The channeler will then be withdrawn and the heading blasted out, and the debris removed by a suitable apparatus. The drill car will then be moved into position against the heading and a series of holes drilled therein, and the channeler will then be set in place of thedrill car and the channeling operation above described repeated.

The apparatus above described is adapted for use in drilling as well as channeling, in which case the shaft 6L2 will be stationary and the shaft 7 revolved to operate the gear ring, imparting through the cam mechanism a forward movement to the drills. The shaft 7 canbe stopped at any time and the shaft 42 revolved slightly to properly space the drill holes.

volved independently and rapidly to ad- The screw shafts can be revance or retard any one ofthe carriers when it is desired to substitute a tool.

I claim as my invention 1. In a tunneling machine, a car, a central shaft mounted thereon, a revolving carrier mounted on said shaft and means for operating the same, carriages mounted on said carrier and adapted to support chan- "neling tools, a gear ring mounted on said shaft, and operative connections between said gear ring and said channeling tools for retracting them at predetermined intervals.

2. A tunneling apparatus comprising a car, a shaft mounted thereon, a revolving carrier mounted on said shaft and means for operating the same. carriages mounted on said carrier and adapted to support channelingtools, a gear ring secured to said shaft, shafts geared to said gear ring, cams mounted on said last named shafts and means connected with said channeling tools and normally in the path of said cams to be actuated thereby to retract said tools at predetermined intervals.

' 8. A tunneling apparatus comprising a car, a central shaft and means for operating the same, a revolving carrier mounted on said shaft and means for driving said carrier, carriages -mounted on said carrier, plungers mounted in said carriages, springs for normally holding said plungers in a projected position, said plungers having sockets for channeling tools and mechanism operatively connecting said central shaft with sa1d plungers for retracting sa1d plungers at predetermined intervals against the ten- I sion of said springs.

4:. A tunneling apparatus comprising'a car, a central shaft and means for operating the same, a revolving carrier mounted 011 said shaft and means for driving said carrier, carriages mounted on said carrier,

' plungers mounted in said carriages and having sockets to receive channeling tools, springs normally holding said plungers in a projected position, shafts journaled near said plungers and geared to said central shaft, and cam devices mounted on said plunger operating shafts and adapted to retract said plungers and channeling tools against the tension of said springs at pre-" determined intervals.

5. A channeling apparatus comprising a car and a central shaft mounted thereon, means for operating the same, means concentric with said shaft and engaging the tunnel heading and forming a central support, a. carrier arranged to revolve around said shaft and means for operating said carrier, carriages mounted on said carrier, plungers mounted on said carriages and 1 having sockets for channeling tools, mechanism operatively connected with said center shaft for retracting said plungers and said channeling tools at predetermined intervals,

and means for yieldingly holding said plungers and channeling tools in a projected position.

6. A tunneling apparatus comprising a car, a central shaft mounted thereon and means for operating said shaft. a revolving carrier mounted on said shaft, carriages mounted on said carrier, plungers mounted in said carriagesand having sockets for channeling tools, and means for yieldingly holding said plungers and tools in their projected position, means for revolving said carrier and feeding. said carriages forward simultaneously. and means for retracting tension of said yielding means.

said carriage plungers and said channeling H 7. A tunneling apparatus comprising a car, a shaft mounted thereon and means for revolving the same, a carrier arranged to revolve around said shaft, carriages mounted on said carrier, plungers mounted in said carriages and having sockets for channeling tools, means for revolving said carrier and feeding said carriages forwardly simultaneously and independently of said shaft revolving means, mechanism operatively connected with said shaft for retracting said alun 'ers and channelin tools at redeter-' z: is

mined intervals, and means for yieldingly holding said plungers and channeling tools in a projected position.

8. In a tunneling machine, the combination, with a shaft and a support therefor and means for operating said shaft, said shaft having a central support adapted to engage the tunnel heading, a gear Wheel secured on said shaft, a revolving carrier mounted on said shaft and means for operating the same, reciprocating carriages mounted on said carrier and having channeling tool supports and means for holding them in a projected position, and means operatively connecting said channeling tool sup ports with said gear ring for retracting said channeling tools and supports at predeten mined intervals against the tension of said projecting means.

9. A tunneling machine comprising a carrier, a central shaft having means to engage the tunnel heading on which said carrier is mounted, a gear ring secured on said shaft, reciprocating tool carriages having plungers for the operating tools, means operatively connected with said gear ring for retracting said plungers, means for revolving said carrier, and means for feeding said carriages toward and from the work, said carriage feeding means operating independently of said carrier to feed said carriages when the carrier is stationary.

10. A tunneling machine comprising a central shaft having means to engage the tunnel heading, a carrier supported by said shaft and revolving around the same, reciprocating carriages mounted on said carrier,

and having plungers to receive operating tools, a gear ring secured to said shaft, shafts mounted contiguously to said carriages and geared to said ring, cam devices carried by said last named shafts and operating to retract said plungers, means for revolving said carrier, and means for feeding the carriages, said carriage feeding means operating independently of said carrier to feed said carriages when the carrier is stationary.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of February, 1911.

DIGHTON A. ROBINSON. WVitnesses:

C. V. CLARK, E. M. WHITNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

